


Just This Once

by lionheartedghost



Category: Chicago Med
Genre: Can be read as friendship or as a relationship, Cute, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 11:51:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20339659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionheartedghost/pseuds/lionheartedghost
Summary: When Connor had said he’d be happy to help in any way he could, this hadn’t really been what he’d had in mind.“I’ll owe you forever,” Will had said, brown eyes wide and hopeful, and even as Connor had sighed and pulled on his coat he’d known there wasn’t a chance of him saying no. He never could say no to Will.“Alright, Halstead. Just this once.”Will gets held up in the ED. Connor agrees to walk Kol, even if it is freezing outside.





	Just This Once

**Author's Note:**

> I watched all of Chicago Med in a week and a half and I suddenly really wanted to write something fluffy. I hope you enjoy it!

When Connor had said he’d be happy to help in any way he could, this hadn’t really been what he’d had in mind.  
  
“I’ll owe you forever,” Will had said, brown eyes wide and hopeful, and even as Connor had sighed and pulled on his coat he’d known there wasn’t a chance of him saying no. He never could say no to Will.  
  
“Alright, Halstead. Just this once.”  
  
Will had grinned from ear to ear. He’d pulled his keys out of his pocket and thrown them to Connor, who had caught them one-handed with all the dexterity one would hope for from Chicago’s best up-and-coming Cardiothoracic surgeon.  
  
“Tell him I’m sorry and I’ll see him tonight,” Will had called over his shoulder, already headed back towards the ED. He’d agreed to pick up a few more hours on-shift, and someone - Maggie, he didn’t doubt - had mentioned that Connor’s shift was ending and he’d be the perfect target for Will’s hopeful smile. He’d been a lost cause the moment Will had cornered him.  
  
And now here he was, scarf wound tightly around his neck, the wool of his gloves not quite staving off the winter chill, but at Will Halstead’s beck and call nonetheless.  
  
“He wanted me to tell you he’s sorry,” Connor said, screwing his face up awkwardly. “He has to work late. They’re short-staffed. You know how it is. He said he’ll see you tonight, so he’ll probably be back in…” he paused, pushing back the sleeve of his coat to squint at his watch, “well, any time soon, really. In the meantime, it’s just you and me.”  
  
Kol wagged his tail, seemingly unperturbed by Connor’s explanation. Connor bent down to scratch at the dog’s ear, brushing flakes of snow from soft fur. Kol sat, sniffing curiously at the ground, glancing up at Connor as if for confirmation of… well, Connor wasn’t exactly sure what, but it felt nice to be looked to all the same.  
  
“Come on,” Connor tugged gently at the leash. “I promised your dad I’d walk you. This isn’t walking.”  
  
Connor couldn’t tell whether Kol had responded to the mention of “walk” or “dad” with more enthusiasm, but he wagged his tail again and plodded along through the snow by Connor’s side, hot breath condensing on the icy air in front of him.  
  
“You make him happy.” Connor wasn’t sure why he felt the need to maintain a one-sided conversation, but something about the warmth in Kol’s eyes, something that reminded him so much of Will, made the words tumble free of their own accord. “I’m glad he’s got you. He deserves something good in his life after all the shit he’s been through.”  
  
Kol sniffed briefly at a discarded takeout container before deeming it unworthy of his time.  
  
“And you gave him the nudge he needed to swap his brother’s couch for an actual apartment of his own, so good work on that front, buddy. But if the two of you ever need somewhere else to stay, you’re both welcome to crash with me. So, if you could find a way to make sure he knows that, that would be great.”  
  
They circled the dog park twice before Connor finally decided he’d risked losing the feeling in his fingers long enough. Surgery was complex enough without factoring in the possibility of frostbite and he wasn’t sure it was worth it, even if it came from a favour to Will.  
  
“Let’s go home, you. See if we can’t beat Will there.” Kol followed along at his heel, his paws almost completely concealed by snow. Their earlier footprints had already vanished, blanketed over by a fresh layer of white as if they’d never been there at all.  
  
Will was sat on the top step in front of his door when they rounded the corner, a hat pulled down to cover his ears. He grinned at the sight of them.  
  
“There he is!” Connor whispered to Kol as Will came down the steps to meet them; Kol’s tail, previously wagging at the slow pace of a steady metronome, tripled in speed in sudden excitement. He strained at the leash, pulling Connor forward until Kol was close enough to bounce up to Will’s chest.  
  
“Hi buddy!” Will leant down, pressing his face into his dog’s fur. “Did you have a nice time with Connor?”  
  
“We had a great time,” Connor supplied with a smile. “What are you doing sat out in the cold?”  
  
Will grinned sheepishly. “Jay has my spare key. I forgot.”  
  
Connor rolled his eyes, digging the keys out of his pocket and tossing them back. “You could’ve sat in your car, at least. Would’ve been warmer.”  
  
Will hummed thoughtfully as he climbed the steps up to his door, fitting the key into the lock. “Maybe I’ll do that the next time you walk my dog for me.”  
  
Connor laughed. “Next time you can walk in the cold with us.”  
  
“That sounds kinda nice,” Will mused. He pushed the door open and glanced over his shoulder. “Do you want to come in and warm up? I’ll cook.”  
  
“Can you cook?” Connor raised an eyebrow.  
  
Will shrugged, turning to face him with the same hopeful look he’d given him earlier. “Want to find out?”  
  
Connor smiled, leading Kol up the steps and following Will into his apartment. After all, he never could say no to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos/a comment if you enjoyed it!
> 
> I'm over on Tumblr under the same username ([lionheartedghost](http://lionheartedghost.tumblr.com/)); come and say hi if you want to!


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